Carburation system



if? .52 f5 22 E Dee. 25, 1934. M, L ZUCROW 1,985,271

CARBURATION SYSTEM l Filed Nov, 7, 195o :5' sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dem 25, 1934 p UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE i g 1,985,271 g CARBURATION SYSTEM V Maurice Joseph Zucrow, Chicago', Ill., assigner to v The Paragon Vaporizer Corporation, Chicago, 'Y Ill., a corporation of Illinois' Application 'November 7, lesoiserialnm 494,083

17 claims. (o1. `leap-1,33)

This inventionfrelates to a carburation system which enables operating internalcombustion enfgineson low grade fuels, such as gas oil or distillate, aswell as gasoline. This Carburation sys- '5 tem embodies a vaporizer which functions to gasify these'fuels, and also embodiesmeans wherebythe final and correct fuel-air mixture can be delivered to the enginercylinder at a Atemperature andpressure which satisfy'the requirements for 1 good combustion, high thermal efliciency and high l power output. f

For a low grade' fuel system to be classed as one which operates an internal combustion en is operated on gasoline, it must burn all lof thel fuel entering into the cylinders, it must not have excessive carbon formation, and the Carburation system itself should not change its characteristics during service nor require more than ordinary maintenance. In other words, a low grade fuel system, to b'e successful, must duplicate as nearlyY as possible, the engine performance, operation and maintenance obtained when burning gasoline. l I

In order to secure effective vaporization or sub-k' division ofthe fuel, the exhaust gases are utilized to heat a downwardly directed conduit.l This conduit, to facilitate heat exchange, has vertical ribs exposed to the exhaust gases.- It is one of the objects of my invention to make it possible ef# fectiv'ely vto Yclean Ythese ribs from deposition of carbon. v Ihe conduit is so arranged that large fuel particles, not readily usable by the engine are plastered against the heated wall, as by causing the fuel-air mixture to whirl by placing a spiral vane, or vanes, in its path. It is another objectof my invention toprovide an `improved form of conduit that will more uniformly distributefthese any material particles, and with comparatively slight friction losses in the'rfuel-airmixture. It is another object of my invention to provide a, convenient' and simple form of heat control for thev conduit, as by the provision of a vmechanism that by-passes all, or a part, of the exhaust gases so thatthe by-passed gases flow directly into the exhaustpipe without coming into contact with the heated conduit.

In some instances, and especially at heavy loads. it is foundthat the fuel detonatesin the cylinder upon ignition; and it hasbeen proposed to add a non-detonating fiuid, such as water, to the Vexplosive fuel-air stream.- additionof the non-detonatingiuid canbe conveniently accomplishedfin this instance by providing a device in the supplemental air stream, which device can be throttle controlled if desired. f' *The invention has still further objects 'and advantages, which `will be pointed out in detail in vthefollowing description of one embodiment of the device.`

Referring tothe drawings; Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a `vaporizer embodying lthe invention;

Figi 2 is a sectional View, taken along lplane 2 2 of Fig. 1; f v

Fig. 3 isa sectional view, taken along plane 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig.l 4. is a plan view of the cover member; Fig. 5 is a detailsideview, taken along vplane 5-5of'Fig.3; Fig.K4 6' is a Afragmentary View similar to- Fig. 2, and showing how the ribs on the conduit can be cleaned; and

Fig; 7 is a detail section taken alongplane 'l-'l ofFig. 6.l Y V v.

The intake Amanifold for theinternal combustion engine is shown at 11, Figuresl, 2 and 3.

The heatedy conduit-12 for-vaporizing.` the fuel extends' above the manifold 11," and forms a down? wardly yextending passageway communicating with thev manifold 11. YAlthough the particular manner'- in whichrthis conduit 12 is supported is of no consequence, -it is shown in this instance as" having a'telescoping extension 13 fitting over a corresponding seat 14 of the `manifold 11`. f This conduit 'is made from metal or other good heat conducting material, and is so arranged that its wall can be heated,` as byV the passage of exhaust gases around it. Toiaccomplish this, the exhaust manifold structure4 includesaring-like wall 15fformed in 'this instance integrally with the manifold casting 11, and extending around the lower portion of conduit`12. A concentric flange-16 can be provided thereon tovk Yseat an encompassing cylindrical shell or casing 17. A gasket .18 and bolts 19 can be used to keep this shell tight on flange 16. haustgas chamberaround conduit y12, a cover 19 (Fig. 4) is provided, which is fastened onto flange 20 of shell 17, and overrthe top of con-A the top of conduit12.' tithuslprovides a, place through which fuel and air can be passed `so as to. be 'drawn into conduit 12 by the pumping action of the engine. The manner of induoting the To vcomplete the ex-y fuel and air to produce a moving column of fuelair mixture will be detailed hereinafter.

Before proceeding with a description of the mode of operation of conduit 12 to vaporize the fuel, a description of the,A exhaust passageways that conduct the hot gases fromA the exhaust of the engine can rbe set forth. Thus there are shown extensions. 23v and 24 (Fig. 1) leading from the exhaust passages ofthe engine and connected as by flanges 25 into each side of ring 15, thereby communicating with the interior of caseing 1'7. Further conduits from other exhaust passages of the engine can also be provided, as

for example, the conduits, 26, (Eig. 3,). leading downwardly from corners. of the ring 15., The.

outlet to the muier for the exhaust gasesvis over the conduit 12,; said. ring having' ribs- 30 intermeshing with ribs 28. If this ring. be reciprocated on thel conduit 1-2, it would serve to scrape off any.' deposit, although in normal, operation experience has shown that such scraping need-be done only at infrequent intervals.

Normally, the ring 29 is held at the top of, conduit 12, as by the. engagement of threadedv rods 3l into the tapped holes in the ring. Theserods extend through cover 19 and are capable of being manually rotated, as by handles 32,7 so`l asy to disengag-e the ring,` 29y from the rods and to make it possible to reciprocate it. Nuts 33 can hold' the rods 3-1 in clamped position,y but they can be unloosened whenever a cleaning operation is, tov be performed. These rods have reduced portions 34 .Y and threaded endsI 35.

When a rod isI unloosened, and its handle 312v rotated, the yrod can'. be moved up so that thelower threaded ends 351 thereof engagef'thef ring4 29. Then the end 35 of each rod 31 can be screwed into the ring 29.v (Fig. 6) The other rod, can be similarly manipulated. These rods thus. form a handle for the ring 29, which can thenv be pulled up and down for cleaning the ribs, 28. The extended' position of rods 311 is shown` in alternative form in Figure 6.

After the cleaningv is completed, one of thev rods 31 can be unscrewed from the ring 29, While ther ring is held by they other rod. Then the said onevrod can be pushed down until the upper'Y threaded portion engagesthe ring, and the rod' caribe turned untill the ring is again secure. After one rod 3l is in inactive position, the other rod can be similarly operated.

The fuel air passage through conduit l2 is preferably made annular in section, as by the provision of a central tube 36 that is closed at the top as by the internal ring 37 depending from below dome 22. This ring also forms a convenient means for fastening the tube 36 in place, by telescoping within each other, and by screws.

Matters are arranged -in s uch a Way that if a. mixture of fuel and` airis caused to progress downwardly through the annular space defined by I.conduit 12 and tube 36, any unusable fuel particles are urged against the heated inner wall of conduit 12. For this purpose, the air stream is caused to whirl or rotate, so as to set up a centrifugal action and to urge the unvaporized fuel particles outwardly by the force thus generated. Various means for producing this centrifugal action are available; but in this instance there is shown one or more helicoidal vanes 38 disposed around tube 36, which deiine passages for the air stream which progress angularly about the axis of conduit l2 as it flows downwardly.

In the present instance, four such spiral vanes are shown. By providing such a multi-thread system of vanos, the fuel and air mixture progresses. downwardly with less obstruction because the pitch islsteeper. A plurality of vanes is also beneiicial` in promoting a more uniform distribution of the fuel over the conduit wall.

It is of' course-understood that fuel in liquid formispassed into the air stream that flows down conduit 12 into manifold l1, by any appropriate means; and that due-tothe; whirling action ofepthis StreamV aroundvanes- 38, those .particles Ofi fuel' not readily usable by the,` engine are, urged or plastered` byy centrifugal force againstk the inner wall of conduit l2'. Afterl vaporizationthereon, the-fuel returns toithe air stream by diffusion and is finally` inducted into the engine in the; igorm' of a homogeneous fuel: air mix. To increase the area, of the heated, conduit surface, this"interior surface can be grooved,` as; indicated at 39.-.y

While the fuel is strongly heated, the,v air stream from which it is, ejected receives considerably less heat.

The fuel introduction is shown as accomplished in this instance byY aid of a; Venturi jet device 4Q formed in thel open end of a, shorty conduit 41. This conduit is fastened, as byiian-ges 424 te a short downwardly sloping connection 43, leading into dome 22. this connection can be made'tangential of` the interior conduit 12,` to assist in giving the airawhirl, although this is` merely a matter of choice.

The venturi 40- is opento. the; atmosphere and air enters into` it by( the action of the engine.l Fuel is inducted at the throat from afloat bowl. 44 of any desired form. A throttle 45 canaliso be provided inv conduit 4.1, and can be manually controlled, as by lever arm- 46, linkfl?, crank 48, and accelerator rod 49X.

At times, it may be advisable to -cool the fuel air mix entering manifold 1l at the bottom of; conduit; 12. cooling as before stated, should not be suflcient to cause anyy condensation of; fuel particles, and yet the temperature should be as low aspermissible. Furthermore', the carbureting device 40 can be such that a rich mixture ijs, obtained to which must be added a supplemental air stream to provide enoughl oxygen to burn `the fuel completely.

In` order to accomplish both these results, there is provided a conduit 5,0 extending into the bote tom of'mani-fold 1l; Cool air isdrawn from the outside through this conduit 50, and commingles with the fuel-air mixture proceeding through conduit 1 2'. The air,y inlet to conduit 5(3), .is shown at 51. A throttle 52; controlling the flow in con# duit 5G can ifdesired be used, and can be simultaneously operated with throttle 45 as by the pro;- vision of; a linkl 5,3 between crank 48 and arm 5'4 of the throttle.

The injection into the fuel stream ofy a non detonating fluid such as water can readily be accomplished through conduitA 50. Thus propor-y tioning device 5,5` such asv a Venturi jet and float bowl, canbe located inl this conduit, and can serve;

As shown most clearly in Iigurel 4,l

to in duct the fluid froma bowl 56, the amount'so taken up being proportioned to satisfy the` engine requirements. x o

In order to provide effective heating of conduitl 12,y the exhaust gases can be conducted in a downwarddirection past the ribs 28. For this purpose, abale 57 can be included in the space enclosed by casing 17 and placed around conduit 12. This baille thus separates the space in casing 17 into av pair of annular portions. The baffle 57 is supported on ,an inner shelf 58 extending around theV ring 15. The top of baffle 57 is however spaced below the top of cover V19, so as to permit the exhaust gases to enter from outside baie 57 up over Vits Vtopand then downwardly pastl conduit 12, finally emerging through an opening 59 into conduit 27.

In order tomake it possible to control the degree of-heating of conduit 12, an arrangement can be provided whereby the exhaust gases can be at least/partially by-passed Without progressing inside of baille 57. For 4this purpose a gate or valvev 60 is used. This -valve controls the passage of the gases in a manner now to be described.

. With thevalve 6()v hanging in the vertical position in opening 59, no exhaust gas entering downwardly into bale 57 can escape at the bottom thereof, consequently the exhaust gases take the path of least resistance and simply pass downwardly outside of baffle 57 and out through conduit 27, without passing over conduit 12. Of course some heat by conduction is still transferred, even if the valve 60V is in the position shown. Now if valve 60 is moved to the angular position indicated at 61 (Fig. 2), the top of exhaust outlet conduit 27 is opento the interior `of baille 57 but closed to its exterior. .Therefore substantially all of the exhaust gases must pass downwardly through baille 57 and out by way of conduit 27.v Under such circumstances, a maximum heat transference is obtained between the exhaust gases and conduit 12. rFor intermediate positions of valve 60, intermediate effects are obtained.

VThis temperature control `can be made automatic or manual, as by mounting valve 60 on a shaft 62 extending through and outsidev of casing ring 15, and appropriately journaled.l A boss 63 (Figs. land 3) can be provided to house a packing Afor this shaft. A lever fiformed on the end of the shaft serves as a convenient means for rocking it, to vary the gate opening. A pull cable 65 (Fig. 5) can be attachedto the lever for this purpose, and can if desired be appropriately guided in a clevis 66. Furthermore, the gate 60 can have side wings 67 (Fig. 3) to make it of chute-like form and to ensure that the exhaust gases emerging past the gate, must pass below its lower edge.

Of course the design should be such that the ultimate fuel mix is not so cold as to cause condensation of the fuel, but should be in the neighborhood of that temperature. With the aid of this invention, such a result is not difficult to obtain, because there is never any undue heating of the whole fuel-air stream, but rather, a selectivek heating of the fuel particles carried thereby.

vDue to the downwardly directed iiow of the fuelair stream, only moderate velocities need be attained to pull the mixture into the engine. Consequently, the pressure in the inlet manifold under wide open throttle or full load conditions can be maintained at a comparatively high value.

I claim:-

1. In a device of the character described, a conduit leading to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine; s'aidconduit beingi'annula'r in sectionameansfor heating thexoutertwall. of the conduit',- andv a pluralityof helicoidal vanes in thev annular spaceto guide the flowof the stream in the conduitfinf'a plurality ofI paths. 2. In a device of :the Vcharacter described, a conduit leadingdownwardly.- to the intakemanifold of an internal combustion; engine, and .carrying a fuel-air'mixture, means for heating the outer wall of the conduit, atube `inthe lconduitderln.- ing van annular space'between it and the conduit, anda plurality of helicoidal vanes in the annular space toguide the flow. of the mixture in a plurality-of paths through the conduit.

3. In a vaporizer'for hydrocarbon fuels', 'a conduit for conducting afuel-air mixtureto the intake manifold of aninternal combustion engine, means defining aspacearoundthe outside `of the conduit, means for leading exhaust gases :to the space, a cleaner ring disposedaround the conduit and in the space,.and means for moving the ring along the' conduit. K s f 4. In avaporizer for hydrocarbonifuels, aconduit for conducting a fuel-air mixture Lto Vthe intake manifold of an internal-combusti`on engine, meansl defining a. space around the outside of the conduit, means.- for leading`exhaust gases to the space, a cleaner ring'zdisposed around-the conduit and in the space, `one or. Imore vrods connected to the ring and extending `out oftheispace take Ymanifold of an internal combustion'engineV means defining a space around the conduitfinto which exhaust gases can be led, a tube surrounding the conduit inthe -space and shorter than the conduit to permit exhaust gases to pass through the space between .the tube and. the rconduit, means forming an exhaustpassage for the gases from the lower portion yof the.- space outside of the tube, anda-.valve adjacent saiidfexhaust `passage. forcontrolling the ,relative-.degree of open'- ings -tov the exhaust passage from the inside and from the outside of the tube.

7. A vaporizer comprising a jacketed fuel mixture conduit, an `axially arranged cylinder in said conduit and with said conduit forming an annular mixture passage, land a head for said conduit having integrally formed centrally thereof a dome closing the end of said cylinder and which dome supports said cylinder within the conduit.

8. A vaporizer comprising a jacketed fuel mixture conduit, an axially arranged cylinder in said conduit and with said conduit forming an annular mixture passage, and a head for said conduit having a dome closing the end of said cylinder and which dome supports said cylinder within the conduit.

9. A vaporizer having a helical fuel-air-mixture passage and a surrounding exhaustjackettherefor, means for introducing fuel-air mixture to one end of said passage and for transferring the heatled mixture from the other end of the passage to the intake of an engine, and means operable from the exterior of the vaporizer for cleaning a surface within saidjacket. Y ,f

10. vA vaporizer having a ring-shaped member having a relatively large opening in its upper face and having a base.v withlailsmallerV opening communicating with 'l an'. intake-manifold connection,.`a cylinder passing through' the upper opening and seated againstsaid base with the smaller openingfin'side thefcylinder, a jacket member seated againsttherupper face of the ring-shaped member and cooperating therewith and with said cylinder. to form an annular exhaust gas jacket surrounding said cylinder, means in said cylinder and cooperating ltherewith to form an annular fuel mixturepassage heated by exhaust gases in said jacket, means for passing fuel mixture through said annular. passage to `be heated, and means for closing off the upper ends of said jacket and said passage.

l1. A vaporizer having a ring-shaped member having a relatively large opening. in itsupper face and having a base withga smaller opening communicating with an intake-manifold connection, a cylinder passing through the upper opening and seated againstv said base with `the smaller opening inside the cylinder, a jacket member seated against the upper face of the ring-shaped member and cooperating therewith and with said cylinder to form an annular exhaust gas jacket surrounding said cylinder, means in said cylinder and cooperating therewith to form an. annular fuel mixture passage heated by exhaust gasesin said jacket, means for passing. fuel mixture through said annular passage to be heated, and means for closing off the upper ends of said jacket and said passage and which carries'and supports the means inside the cylinder.A Y

l2. Avvaporizer having -a ring-shaped member having a relatively large opening in its upper face and having a base with a smaller opening communicating withl an intake-manifold connection, a cylinder passing through the upper 40 opening and seated against said base withy the smaller opening inside the cylinder, a jacket member seated against the upper face of the ring-shaped member andy cooperating therewith and with said cylinder to formanannular ex- 45 haust gas jacket surrounding said `-cylinder,

means for passing fuel mixture through said cylinder to be heated, and means for closing off the upper endsrof said jacket and said cylinder.

13. A vaporizer comprising a fuel-air-mixture conduit, means for introducing fuel-air mixture into said conduit, an outlet for said mixture from the. conduit, a heating `jacket surrounding said conduit, means for introducing heating medium into the space between theconduit and jacket, and means operable from the exterior of the vaporizer for cleaning a surface within said jacket which is exposed `to the heating medium.

14. A vaporizerk comprising a fuel-air-mixture conduit, means for introducing fuel-air mixture into said conduit, an outlet for said mixture from the conduit, a heating jacket surrounding said conduit, means for introducing heating medium into the space between the conduit and jacket, a member in said space, and means extending to the exterior of the vaporizer for `moving' said member to clean a surface within the jacket.

l5. A vaporizer comprising a fuel-air-mixture conduit, means for introducing fuel-air mixture into said conduit, an outlet for said 'mixture from the conduit, a heating jacket surrounding said conduit, means for introducing heating medium into the space between the Yconduit and jacket, a member in said space, means extending to the exterior of said vaporizer and engageable with said member formoving the same to clean a surface within the jacket, and means for retaining said member in inoperative position.

16. A vaporizer comprising a conduit having heat transferring ribs thereon, means for heating said conduit, and a member operable from the exterior of the vaporizer and movable longitudinally of said ribs for cleaning the same.

17. A vaporizer for engines comprising a conduit, means for introducing a fuel-air mixture v ber in said space intertting with said ribs, and

means extending to the exterior of the vaporizer for moving said member along the ribs to clean the same.

MAURICE JOSEPH ZUCROW. 

